Sift ground almonds together with sugar and set aside. Place the egg whites in mixing bowl and whip until soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar, making a firm, glossy meringue. Beat in vanilla. Using a spatula, fold the almond mixture into egg whites, 1/3 of a cup at a time. When all the ingredients are incorporated, continue to cut and fold the mixture until it forms a shiny batter with a thick ribbonlike consistency. I take a spoonful of the batter and place on a plate to see if the batter spreads without any peaks and is smooth on the top.

Pour the batter into a pastry bag. Pipe 32 small circles onto prepared baking sheets.Try to have them all the same size for matching purposes. (Parchment papers placed on baking sheets.) I use a rubber silicon pre-formed mat that can be purchased from Amazon, made by Mastrad. (Plaque a petits macarons) They also have the large mats for sale. www.mastrad.fr Tap baking sheets firmly to remove any air bubbles and let sit for 40 minutes at room temperature.

Bake on preheated over for 10-15 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from paper or mats. Remove slowly and carefully~don't rush this step!For the Filling4 T. unsalted softened butter, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 cup of confectioners' sugar, sifted. I added some food coloring to my filling at this time. Beat the butter and sugar well until pale and fluffy then add sugar until smooth and creamy. Use filling to sandwich pairs of macarons together.

I will continue to practice until I get these perfected. I still had then too fat~practice makes perfect!